wed AF 30 October

[treetops]

MAE folks! How are we all today?
Lovely sunny (but windy) day here and its getting on in the afternoon. My hand is still sore - so won't type too much. I have a big plaster on my thumb and it upsets the whole balance - and strains the rest of my hand. Tomorrow is my partner G.'s 50th birthday - so we are going out to dinner with the daughter - since he likes meat (and we don't) we have chosen a place that does amazing things with dead flesh:H -there will be food for us delicate ladies however. G. can drink AL if he wants but I doubt if he will. No parties for his birthday - its not his style.

Good to hear from you PPQP - hope you enjoyed the pizza. You sound good.
Great news Bear that you are well over a month AF. Don't agonise over the 'missing out' in not drinking at Xmas. Its still a long way off and anything could happen by then. David Cameron might even declare the UK AF (and pigs are taking to the skies:H).

No pigs for Lav - but I see you have something to crow about:H

How are the Halloweeners? Not sure who that applies to here. SF - are your boys into it?

Sounds good what you are up to Sam.

Mick -I agree with you about all the reality shows about drinking - I think its a kind of voyeurism - sensational. Again its the 'us' and them 'thing'. The extreme bingers and alkies. Thats one of the good things about websites like Soberistas (showing that AL can be a serious problem for 'nice' people).

SL -hope you are OK. Did you have a bit of setback? I know its hard for you.
Pauly - are you out of the woods yet and back into sobersville? Hope so.

Sunshine -how's things? Is Halloween on the horizon in your parts?

Nora - big wave if you are peeking in! :welcome:

Well I better not type too much - but hope you all enjoy your Wed and thrive and keep well and perky.....

[NoraC]

wed AF 30 October

Hey TT - I peeked in......:wavin:

I'm going to try to go to bed now. Couldn't sleep last night - plan on making up for it tonight.

I've been spending a lot of time on here reading different threads. So much good information. I need to concentrate on just enjoying the moment instead of thinking too far out in the months ahead. So, for today I am sober. That has a nice ring to it doesn't it? Getting close to 60 days I think. So, that's a positive.

Ok - I'm off to grab that sleep fairy. Might have to fight Sunni GG for it but I'm ready. :h

[Mick]

wed AF 30 October

yoo hoo everyone ...tis I ..how are yiz?Well the rain has gone (ish,)and the wind has died down ..in fact they have forecast ...wait for it ....SUNSHINE here today..hmm we shall see.Out doing a bit today so need to get off in a wee while.

Tea n coffee on the go .

Hiya tt ..how are you today? apart from the sore thumb?hope you enjoy your food tomorrow...thats one thing I always do ..Never looked at that site you mentioned ..might have a peek.

Hiya Nora..how are you?did the sleep fairy catch up with you?hope so .Yes there is a wealth of info on the site..the only thing is watch you dont go into overload ...then you tend to think sod it cant be bothered.

Hiya Sam ..hows you ?Did you find any more out about Beamers?on goggle thats what it is listed as ..and looks like one biiiiig pine covered mountain!!

Hiya Lav.....how are you today?ok ..wow so they sent you a dodgy female?Bet he thinks all his Christmases have come at once ..the only bloke amongst all them women...ha he ll soon learn!!!!Nuther brew for me ...care to indulge maam? Any plans for today? oops ..rephrase ..has anyone included you in their plans for today???kiddywise?

Hiya sunshine ..you ok?the word sailing certainly puts a cracking visual on someone going down the stairs..what a great stunt wsith the chicks ..wonder if they do it on purpose?...putting a male in with all them .....almost as good as dipping onions in chocolate for all the trick or treaters!!!!

Hiya ppqp..how are you today? ok I hope .come sit and have a brew ..sod work for a min.Yep seriously suffering from bored.com...thats when Julie reckons I am at my most dangerous!!!..theres only so many times you can do real man jobs like hoovering,dusting n polishing!!!Out on a jaunt today ,so great.You take it easy n have a good one

Hiya SF..wow really interesting post..enjoyed reading it.thanks.Yes agreed that the reality drunk shows for want of better words,are what we all dont want to figure in ....and at the other end of the scale you have as you say the smart business cookie who has the glass of wine or two and is sound.....this doesnt apply to everyone ,but somewhere along the line, there is a period where the 2 glasses of wine become 3/4 and as time goes on more and more until you are at the reality tv stage without knowing!!Lets be honest,none of us ever set out wit the notion of drinking as much as we could....but we did and regularily.
The other thing is ..no one said dont drink..its dont drink to excess...so what is excess?
You can look from social ,medical and religious points and find booze mentioned...social as you have mentioned ..a relaxing drink after a hard day,medical quotes ,glass of red is good for you ,religious ..in the bible ,water in to wine etc and the feasts...its the fact that it is addictive and too easy to get spiralled down with booze.We are here because we cant be the people that have one glass and thats it..and quite frankly I wouldnt want to be anymore.we do not have the on off buttons,so rather than go through all of that we choose not to drink..seemples.
Just as a side issue yes more and more people are quitting cigs,but more and more are using electronic ciggies..wonder when someone will tell they are bad for your health?
Wow gone on a bit there!!hope it makes sense ..cut it back a lot ,so not sure it does..basically its not the booze thats the issue ..its the individual control and limits!

right thats me ..yapped on for long enough....bear hows your course doing?hope all is well

take care all

There was this couple who had been married for 50 years. They were sitting at the breakfast table one morning when the old gentleman said to his wife, "Just think, honey, we've been married for 50 years." "Yeah," she replied, "Just think, fifty years ago we were sitting here at this breakfast table together." "I know," the old man said, "We were probably sitting here naked as jaybirds fifty years ago." "Well," Granny snickered, "What do you say...should we get naked?" Where upon the two stripped to the buff and sat down at the table. "You know, honey," the little old lady breathlessly replied, "My nipples are as hot for you today as they were fifty years ago." "I wouldn't be surprised," replied Gramps. "One's in your coffee and the other is in your oatmeal."

My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished two bags of chips and a chocolate cake. I feel better already.

Two blondes lock their keys in the car. One of the blondes tries to break into the car while the the other one watches. Finally the first blonde says "Darn, I can't get in the car!" The other blond replies, "keep trying, it looks like it is going to rain and the top is down".

Two geeks are talking over lunch. The first guy says, ?You wouldn?t believe what happened this morning. A girl rode up to me on her bike, took off all her clothes, and said ?Take whatever you want!? ? So I took the bike? The second guy says, ?Good choice, her clothes probably wouldn?t have fit you.?

The results of in-depth studies have determined that the most often used sexual position for marriedcouples is the "doggie position". The husband sits up and begs and the wife rolls over and plays dead.

The teacher was asking the end of the day question that she asks every Friday. If the student got it right they would not have to go to school on Monday. Little Johnny Was determined to answer correctly. So he painted two black marbles black and rolled them to the teachers feet. All of a sudden she Shouted out, "Who's the commedian with the black balls?". Johnny shouted out, "Bill Cosby, see ya on Tuesday suckas!".

A woman saw an ad in the local newspaper which read: "Purebred Police Dog $25." Thinking that to be a great bargain, she called and ordered the dog to be delivered. The next day a van arrived at her home and delivered the mangiest-looking mongrel she had ever seen. In a rage, she telephoned the man who had placed the ad, "How dare you call that mangy-mutt a purebred police dog?" "Don't let his looks deceive you, ma'am," the man replied, "He's in the Secret Service."

Standing beside a valiant stallion, a beautiful blonde decides she must ride this animal despite having no previous riding experience. Soon, she finds herself atop the horse's back, galloping through a lush green meadow. Unsuspecting, the horse suddenly picks up speed and she finds herself euphoric over the freedom she is experiencing. Once again, the magnificent animal picks up speed except this time her inexperience gets the better of her. She finds herself barely able to hang on. The startled horse is now in a dead run and the beautiful blonde finds herself hanging off to one side of the horse, her head just inches from the ground... catastrophe seconds away. She begins to frantically scream for help when all of a sudden......... Frank, the Wal-Mart door man, calmly walks up and unplugs the ride.

In the first year of marriage, the man speaks and the woman listens. In the second year, the woman speaks and the man listens. In the third year, they both speak and the neighbors listen.

Monica is at the dentist. Half of her mouth is locked due to anesthesia, the dentist is intensively working. Monica's mobile phone starts ringing. Ignoring it four times, the dentist finally answers the phone pissed: What?s up? What?s up?, - some man asks. Dentist: Who are you? I?m Monica?s husband Dentist: Listen, man, I?m about to finish, she will spit it out and will call you back!!!


Q. Why does it take longer to build a blonde snowman? A. Cause you have to hollow out it's head!

[porqoui]

wed AF 30 October

MAE ALL...

treetops;1576433 wrote: .... we have chosen a place that does amazing things with dead flesh:H

TT...my you definitely have a way with words. Boss is taking us to a steakhouse for lunch today and guess what I've got stuck in my mind. Hope the "plaster" can come off soon.

Nora...hope you got some sleep last night. If Sunni still has the sleep fairy let me know, I know people :H

Mick...thanks for the brew and took your advice, am sodding work for a min. Look 2 posts in 24 hrs. Glad to see you're able to get out today. Have a good one.

:hiya: to all stopping in today. Coffee done and out the door I go. Have a great AF Wednesday all.....PPQP

[Lavande]

wed AF 30 October

Greetings Abbers from kiddie-land!

Left my overnight guests (still sleeping) to go to my son's house. Dropped the oldest off at preschool so now I'm 'enjoying' episodes of Thomas & Barney (God forbid) :H :H
As soon as my son arrives I'll be off to Curves, yay!
Rain here this morning, hope it clears up for tonight's Halloween parade. The boys are so excited to ride on the fire truck their Dad will be driving. Simple pleasures

Greetings TT, hope the birthday celebration goes well!
Greeting Nora & PQ! Glad to see you both!

Mick, my mini rooster is cute - so far!
His time on this planet will depend entirely on his personality! I will not tolerate another ruthless bastard like the last one - no kidding :H
Glad to hear the storm is over in your neck of the woods.

Wishing everyone a fabulous AF hump day.
Greetings to SF, Cindi, YahYsh, Sam, Sunni & eve everyone!!!
Will check in later.

Lav

[sunshine_gg]

wed AF 30 October

Harrow Fabbies!

Sorry Nora, I did make sure that damn fairy wasn't going anywhere last night (Duct Tape!)
TT have fun with the b-day feast! Well, all my kidlets are gone, so Halloween is no biggie anymore... LOVED it, though.. when the urchins were little
Lav... Good luck with the mini rooster... perhaps lots of handling (while he's still small enough to not take 2 fingers in one bite?)
Hello PQ and Mick!

Must run off... it's one of THOSE days (work wise). Happy Hump Day, y'all!

[bear73]

wed AF 30 October

hey everyone - day 40 today can't quite believe it.I dodged a bullet last night some women on course going out for a few drinks invited me along, I said thanks but no thanks, ate a seafood risotto on my own and went back to room and read magazines and flicked through rubbish tv. Dodged a bullet - felt like I was missing out, visioned lonely and dull future with me left out of social situations/on periphery,not having fun..I realise this will change,and also that it is a pile of total pigshit. But it's how I feel right now. I am unhappy when drinking and sometimes when sober,and my life is really good on paper - I'll get over it.

Noticing my anxiety levels as well - seem to be climbing - going into a work based tailspin. Some of it is my need for approval, making everything my responsibility.Some of it is I have done about 7 training courses in a month so am behind on work/mentally it's tiring, the more I learn - the more I realise that I don't know which is stressful in itself.

Anyway got CBT therapist app next Friday and in the meantime may ring employee assistance. Through reading worry book I've identified that I try to tackle too many problems at once (yeh huh!!), and the revelation bit - I predict that I will fail.
So in spirit of one thing at a time I am off the sauce and smoking(as goes together).I'm not trying to lose weight yet am focusing on healthier eating and moving to cheer my mood up.

So in short feeling anxious,irritable and tired (hotel on a noisy drunken street and found ear plugs this morning) - but not drinking so that's one less thing to worry about!
See you tomorrow.

[Samstone]

wed AF 30 October

Hello all
pretty good day, nothing earth shattering you might say, just a regular ol' day. Had an enjoyable time putting together another old deed sheet. We have a 140 acre boundary to run. Our description is about 1890's vintage but there has been some modern stuff on adjoining pieces so hopefully, it won't be too bad.
Some of these stones that were sometimes set at the corners are pretty impressive. I remember one being about 4 feet tall. Glad I wasn't the one setting that rascal.

Well done Bear getting to 40 and with temptation knocking on your door too, that is great. I know how you feel about the folks that do drink. Most people I play music with drink. It feels a little odd at first, but it really is only my hang up. They could care less if I drink or not. AND the next morning, I'm my bright eyed busy tailed self!

Lav, I'm there with you on the rooster thing. We have had some that were pretty bad, but not for long.

Enjoyed everyone's reading posts.
Sam

[porqoui]

wed AF 30 October

Well done Bear :wd:

Getting past that feeling of "missing out" is a BIG one and it will take time. Just remember time takes time.

In my early quit days every time I drove past a liquor store or a bar I felt deprived till one day I drove my regular route and when I got home realized I hadn't thought about AL once. That really gave me a boost but it did take time.

Hi Sam...your post reminded me of the time I was a surveyor. Boy that brought back a lot of memories or at least most of them as a day of pipeline surveying always ended at the bar. :H

Frustrating day today, serenity prayer came in mighty useful. :H A relaxing coke and then it's off to make salmon and asparagus for dinner. See you in the morning....PPQP

[Determinator]

wed AF 30 October

yay! I'm finally freaking home. made it in one piece sans a nasty cold but I can deal with that.

will catch up soonish. be well peeps

[treetops]

wed AF 30 October

Bear. You may feel excluded at the moment but you don't want to end up feeling excluded because you are an embarrassing drunk. That can happen to many of us alkies.
I am going out tonight with my partner and it's a relief to no longer have him say that he will not go out with me if I drink. yes it had got to that at one point.

[TheSunFlower]

wed AF 30 October

Good day today...lots accomplished with nothing to show for it. Well, that's most days. Sometimes I'll clean something just to have physical proof that I actually got out of bed.

Finally we filmed that wine store commercial with all the new restrictions. Looking back I found this odd. I went and hung out...discussed booze, joked about it....but had no real feelings about it. I did not want any, but I did not feel like an odd man out talking about it.

My work is having a seminar tomorrow...we are to dress up in costumes, chili cook off, get flu shots....so not a team player when it comes to this crap. Highlight is that I'll get to wear some new yoga clothes I bought

[scottish lass]

wed AF 30 October

Hi TT, yes I did have a set back - snuck up on me completely unawares. I am back on track again though, and will have managed 26 AF days in October, so I am quite happy with that - keep on moving forward and one day I will catch up with all you guys.
Last year I blew it on halloween, a friend and I have a habit we consdiered quite lovely, to sit at a table outside passing out candy whilst sipping wine - very civilised, except I am not good at the sipping part. First time in 8 or 9 years I am ditching her, and feeling pretty sad about giving up out Halloween tradition - but I am obviously not strong enough...
Sunflower - your seminar tomorrow sounds like my worst nightmare! Not at all my idea of fun at all - I can so sympathise with you on that one - crap would sum it up! We have been asked to dress up for staff morale, but right now feel like protecting my morale!!!
Good to see you all, hope the sleep fairy is sharing her goodies tonight, I could do with a visit too

[TheSunFlower]

wed AF 30 October

One last thing...I got caught up reading personal stories on soberiestas.com. I am included in this group....but I was amazed at how many declare they are not alcoholic....but their story sure reads like one. So I looked up the word.....because the dirty word "alcoholic"....screws up so many people. I/they kept on going because of this one single word. It is high time it stopped being a dirty word.

After reading the definitions.....certainly more of us fall into the category of "alcohol abusers"....but at the end of the day it doesn't really matter. Both classes should not drink.

I just wonder if more looked at it from a standpoint of alcohol abuse.....rather than "am I an alcoholic or not"....if it would resonate more. You can find eight ways to Sunday to NOT be an alcoholic. Alcohol abuse is a little harder to deny.

I guess for me the big lie was if I was just an alcohol abuser there was still hope that I could get it under control. I think it is good more "alcohol abusers" are coming out of the closet. Maybe this is the shift I am seeing. People that are not full blown alcoholic.....finally after a long fought battle are giving it up. Because at the end of the day....trying to control a drug....doesn't work out well for either class. My humble opinion.

[NoraC]

wed AF 30 October

Sunflower - I just joined the soberistas site yesterday. I'm just heading over to check it out. Always looking for more information.

SL - good to see you!!!

We carved our pumpkins tonight so we're all ready for the kiddos tomorrow.

Waving to everyone :wavin: :h